Bike Riding Games for Kids

Challenge Courses

• Build essential skills of agility and balance with bike riding challenge games. Set up a backyard obstacle course with challenges based on the skill level of your rider. For a beginner rider, place large orange cones about four feet apart for a weaving challenge; more experienced riders who exhibit more precise control can complete a weaving challenge with cones spaced more closely together. Other bike riding obstacles include simple inclines made from wooden planks or natural hills, quick stops to practice proper braking and narrow turnarounds to practice three-point turning on a bicycle. Set the rider up at the start line and time her as she navigates the course.

  If you have multiple bikers, adapt an obstacle course into a relay race. Place participants of teams with an equal number of participants. At the start of the race, the first team member completes one of the obstacle challenges, such as weaving through a set of cones, before returning to the start line. The next player in the team must complete the next challenge, such as accelerating up an incline. The game continues until one team has completed all aspects of the race. The winning team is awarded a prize such as a bike helmet.

Balance Builders

• Balance is one of the most essential bike-riding skills. Practice balance with kids through balance games and challenges. Use sidewalk chalk to draw a straight line on your driveway or sidewalk. Challenge a beginner biker to ride the line while keeping both his front and back wheels on the line at all times. The deceptively simply challenge can also be adapted into a game by drawing multiple lines for several bikers. The riders then race to see who can get to the end of the line the fastest without ever having a tire slip off the line.

  For a comical balance game, place riders in a row at a starting point. Place a small beanbag, plush toy or book on the top of each rider's helmet. Rider must then bike to the finish line several yards away without dropping the object from their helmet. If the object falls, the rider must return to the start line. The first rider across wins a bike related prize such as a handle bar bell or basket.

Advanced Skills Games

• More experienced riders are better equipped to handle games that require more advanced riding skills. Children who can ride without training wheels can improve their dexterity through an elimination game involving weaving. Begin by setting up cones or obstacles in a straight line three feet apart. One at a time, riders weave in and out of the cones; if a rider has to stop to put his foot on the ground for balance, he is eliminated. Once all the riders have had a chance, move the cones closer together and repeat the round. As the cones become closer, weaving becomes more difficult and riders will be eliminated. The last rider is declared the winner; several riders may be winners if the cones cannot reasonably be moved closer together.

  In the event of a tie, you can include a tie-breaker game that challenges balance and endurance. All remaining riders begin riding in a circle. After a few minutes, a leader asks all riders to bike to another location, usually over an obstacle like grass or sand, before returning to the circle. If a rider stops cycling or puts a foot on the ground, she is eliminated. The last rider cycling is the winner.